Happy Friday! This may seem like more of a Friday random (a la Laura from Crazy Running Girl) than a round-up!

A few things to share today…

Let’s talk pants. I saw this video a few weeks ago and the song is still stuck in my head.
The tight pants duo would be a good Halloween costume!

Speaking of pants…I buy long length pants…I had an Eddie Bauer coupon and went online to use it. They charge extra for long length anything. Boo. I’m not a fan of paying extra because I have long legs, arms, torso!

A quick question for everyone—I’m going to start an Apples and Arteries Facebook page. Fellow bloggers who have a blog FB page–what category did you choose when starting the page? Business, Product, ?

It’s National Dog Week.

This observance was pioneered 84 years ago by Captain William Lewis Judy, a dog enthusiast who felt we ought to celebrate the military service of our canine companions as well as celebrate the ways that dogs all across our country enrich our lives. Now the week encompasses raising awareness of what it means to be a responsible pet owner.

This is a great opportunity to share another photo of The Guys. I suppose I should give them an extra treat today, too.

Last Saturday was a trip into the woods to see Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. There’s a beautiful outdoor theatre (American Players Theatre) about 45 minutes west of Madison. Not only do you get to experience theatre under the stars and trees, but the program is to have a picnic beforehand. Some people go all out. Table cloths, real dishes, and even candelabras (I wish I would’ve taken a picture of this table – it looked like “lifestyle guru” Colin Cowie had catered their dinner and provided the decorations).

Inside the outdoor theatre

You’re not going to find me packing a fancy picnic, but I do try to make new dishes for our picnics. Browsing through the October 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine I came across a recipe for Asian Chicken Salad Pitas. As I do with much of my cooking, I use a recipe for inspiration but then make it my own to accommodate ingredients on-hand and time on-hand to cook.

Enter homemade peanut sauce! The Clean Eating recipe called for cashew butter and the salad included scallions, cucumbers, and cilantro – I just didn’t have these on hand and had to tailor to QAG’s lack of interest in cucs.

The sauce is delicious! A standard dinner for me used to be chicken, peppers, brown rice, and peanut sauce. But the store-bought kind. At the grocery store on Saturday I did review the label of the sauce I used to use–ingredients include sugar, honey, oil. I’ll stick to homemade!

I’ve been enjoying the leftovers this week and know that I’ll be adding the peanut sauce to my cooking rotation.

ProcessAdd everything to a mixing bowl; stir well until peanut butter is combined. Add more broth if needed.

I added the sauce to shredded (baked) chicken, red peppers, and carrots. Delicious!

Served on a giant bed of spinach. This would also be good in a wrap or sandwich.

Saturday night was cold…I had to break out a parka, hat and gloves. I should’ve packed hot soup or chili in a thermos for dinner. We had to “settle” for hot chocolate and hot tea at intermission!

Already frozen

Do you have a favorite homemade sauce? Has it been chilly enough to break out the Winter gear?

There’s still time to enter the Kranich’s giveaway – thanks to everyone who has already entered!

Notes about the recipe: Natural peanut butter keeps this tasting incredibly fresh and natural. I think “regular” peanut butter would ruin the taste. If you have fresh ginger available, you can certainly use that. I used ginger spice (but not the Ginger Spice). If you don’t have the Liquid Aminos, use low-sodium soy sauce.